Your pathway to a career
Get a head start on your career and complete a TAFE-delivered Vocational Education and Training (TVET) course, while you’re still at school.
All TVET courses help you build practical skills and industry-specific knowledge, and count toward your school outcome, with some courses contributing towards an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR).
Speak with your school VET coordinator or Careers Adviser about the available course options that align with your future career goals, or discover which of our TVET pathways is right for you, by downloading your copy of the TVET Guide today.
Benefits of TVET
Interest
Study something you're interested in.
Experience
Learn from industry experienced teachers.
Insight
Gain insight into industry areas to help you with your career decisions.
Skills
Develop employer recognised skills and experience.
Independence
Develop independence and confidence in an adult learning environment.
Pathways
Potentially gain credit from your course towards further study.
TVET courses have the same NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) requirements as other HSC courses, meaning you will need to regularly attend classes and complete the set assessments. Most courses take between one and two years to complete and some classes may also extend outside of school hours and/or include work placement.
Where: At participating TAFE NSW campuses – at school – online via a Connected Learning Centre (CLC), or as a block delivery (which may involve study time during the school holidays).
Work placement is a mandatory requirement for many TVET courses. It gives you the chance to learn new skills and apply the skills you've already learned as part of your course in a real industry setting.
Work placement will help you to:
- Gain insights into the kind of career you’d like to have
- Make informed decisions about further training and study
- Become more employable
TAFE NSW will source work placement opportunities for you or you can suggest an employer and we can support you in working to secure a placement with them.
You will need to speak to your school’s VET Coordinator or Careers Adviser. Engaging with your school about your interests and ambitions as early as possible will give you the greatest chance to pursue a TVET course as part of your school program.
Expressions of interest open in term 2 of the year prior to study and close mid-year, so be sure to start the conversation early.
All TVET courses count towards your Record of School Achievement (RoSA) subject to meeting the course requirements.
Stage 6 (year 11 and 12) courses can contribute to your HSC, different TVET course types contribute different amounts of credit.
Some of the Stage 6 courses also include a HSC examination that enables your TVET course to contribute to your ATAR. Discuss ATAR contributing courses with your school’s VET Coordinator or Careers Adviser if an ATAR is important to you.
If you successfully undertake TVET at school and want to continue your studies at TAFE NSW, you would be eligible for credit in any course containing the units of competency you have completed during your TVET studies. This means that you will not need to repeat any subjects that you successfully completed as part of your TVET course.
You can undertake a course with TAFE NSW that contributes to your program of study. Homeschooled students are entitled to access subsidies for selected courses. Please get in touch with us to find out more information, if you are homeschooled:
Earn while you learn, with School Based Apprenticeships and Traineeships (SBAT)
School Based Apprenticeships (SBAs) and School Based Traineeships (SBTs) combine paid work with TAFE NSW training and school. They give you the opportunity to gain a nationally recognised VET qualification as well as your HSC and valuable workplace skills and experience through part-time paid employment.
After successfully completing an SBAT, you will receive a TAFE NSW transcript of academic record that may count towards further study. At the end of your SBA you will have the opportunity to progress to Stage 2 of your apprenticeship.
Find out more
You may also be interested in
Information for Parents and Carers
When your child turns to you for advice, ensure you’re ready to answer all the big questions that help them graduate with the essential skills employers want.
Learn more